Volcano Choir

In 2005, long before Justin Vernon started making recordings under the name of Bon Iver -- and before his previous band, DeYarmond Edison, had even split up -- he collaborated with Collections of Colonies of Bees' Jon Mueller, Chris Rosenau, Jim Schoenecker, Daniel Spack, and Thomas Wincek on a side project called Volcano Choir. The group's first album, Unmap, was recorded in Vernon's studio in late 2008. The buzz surrounding this release was palpable, given that it was essentially arriving on the heels of Bon Iver's 2008 debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, an album that had enjoyed considerable popularity among indie crowds that year. Unmap was released on Jagjaguwar Records in the fall of 2009. Following the release of their debut, Justin Vernon returned to Bon Iver for their second album, while Thomas Wincek left Collections of Colonies of Bees and conceived instrumental outfit All Tiny Creatures. In a long process -- similar to the creation of Unmap -- the members traded ideas in writing sessions between November 2010 and March 2013 for their second record, Repave, which was released in the summer of 2013. ~ Margaret Reges